Curriculum development in integrated science for form one to form three in Mauritius : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy at Massey University

the permission of the Author.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT in

INTEGRATED SCIENCE for

FORM ONE to FORM THREE in

.MAURITIUS

A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of

MASTER of PHILOSOPHY at

MASSEY UNIVERSITY

Chin Hin SIN YAN TOO FEBRUARY 1981

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It is a pleasure to acknowledge the support and

encouragement I have received in the task of working out this thesis to its present form.

I am particularly grateful to my supervisor, Dr David Stenhouse, who has so painstakingly guided me along new vistas. Next comes Mr Eric Nicolas who has plied me with documents and reports on science education collected in his travels abroad. Last but not least, Dr ^Micha~l Atchia has so subtly and generously prodded me along right from the beginning.

I would also like to thank Miss Geeta Samputh who, so quickly and efficiently, produced this final typescript.

And finally to all those whose name aoes not appear but whose help was nevertheless of great value, I say thank you.

Formal acknowledgements are due here to the New Zealand Government for financial support in the form of a fellowship under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan and to Miss Dorothy Anderson, Secretary, University Grants

Co~ttee, Wellington, for its administration during the author's stay in New Zealand, and finally, to the late

Professor Clem Hill under whose chairmanship this thesis was approved and went underway and to Massey University under whose auspices it has come to its conclusion.

A.S.E

c . .r.s.E

I.C.S.U

M.I.E

M.I.S.P

S.C.I.S.P

S.T.E.P

U.N.D.P

(iii)

Association for Science Education

Certificate of Junior Secondary Education

International Council of Scientific Unions

Mauritius Institute of Education

Mauritius Integrated Science Project

Schools' Council Integrated Science Project

Science Teacher Education Project

United Nations Development Pro.gpamme

C 0 N T E N T S

TITLE PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS GLOSSARY

(i)

{ii) (iii)

(iv) - (vi)

CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ^{(vii) - (viii)}

INTRODUCTION ^{(ix) - (x)}

CHAPTER I

CHAPTBR 2

EVOLUTION OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

1.1 Historical Background ot Mauritian Education

l.2 Rationale for Change in Secondary Education

1.3 ^~he Whys and Moans for Change in Secondary Education

THE MAURITIUS INTEGRATED SCIENCE

PROJ'ECT

2.1 History ot the Project

2.2 Rationale tor M.I.B.P

2.3

ETaluation ot M.I.S.P Porm I

l

23

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

(v)

THE CASE FOR INTEGRATED SCIENCE 3.1 Integrated Science: A Better

Science?

3.2 What is Integrated Science?

3.3 Where does M.I.S.P stand?

PROBLEMS INHERENT IN M.I.S.P 4.1 Initial Observation

4.2(a) Hypothesis

4.2(b) The Importance of Hypothesising 4.3 Existing Scientific Knowledge

4.4

Experimental Verification

4.5

Concmusion

PROPOSED CHANGED FOR M.I.S.P 5.1 A modified Guided Discovery

Approach

5.2 A Reduced Emphasis on knowledge Acquisition

37

51

118

5.3 A Reduced Bmphasis on Experimentation 5.4 Changes in the Steucture and contents

of M.I.S.P,

CHAPTER 6

APPENDIX A APPENDIX B

APPENDIX C APPENDIX D

APPENDIX E

STRATEGIES FOR THE SUCCESSFUL

IMPLEMENTATION OF M. I. S. P

6.1 Implementation 6,2 Teacher Training 6.3 Examinations 6.4 Conclusion

List of Curriculum writers Integrated Science Teaching

Syllabus

Specimen Paper C.J.S.E M.I.S.P Form I Evaluation Test 1976

Behaviour-Test Content Grid BI:BLIOGRAPHY

157

172

173 179

196 206 207

(vii)

ABSTRACT

During the past decade, Integrated Science curricula

am

courses have lIIJShroaood all over the world. Likewise the Mauritius Integrated Science Project cane into existence in 1976. Ilq)lied is that this

'new'

science course is also a 'better' course. Is it an:i can it

be :inproved?

After retracing the hi.story of Mauritian education

am

^showing

hclw bhe education system was shackled to the powers that be, nention is JTBde of how the wirXi of change started blowing over the education system. The birth of M.I.S.P is hailed; its a:ilII3

am

objectives are then discussed. 'Ihis centres on the nea.ning of Integrated Science, its canpositian a.rxi where M.I.S.P stan:is with regard to it.

Philosophical concerns for the nature of science, the relevance of science education as well as the social inplications of science education,all these concepts are treated. at length. It is the thesis of this author that i f these f.hree concerns are not taken into

consideration in aurriculum development work for a science course at

primary arrl secon:lary education levels, then we would only be scratch- ing the slrlace. In consequence, an irHiepth analysis of ^the scientific method is called for. How tar the M. I

.s

.P teaching ^approach di verges

from thia eoientific method is then exposed.

'nne dichotOII\Y between the process of science and the product of science is .t'ully discussed. It is suggested that school soience, based essentially on the pnxiuct of science, despite teaching

approaches to the contrary i .e guided discovery nethod, will do rrore

harm than good. It is proposed that the process is the all important factor in science education. Learning through science rather than

learning sh±enq.e lis. upheld to be the goal of science education.

Scientific thinking should predominate over scientific knowledge at

the level of education under consideration. 'Ibis is said to have survival value arrl is viewed as the Education for T.:morrow.

Proposal. far changes in the structure and contents of M.I.S.P is ma.de. 'Ihe inplelll'3ntation issue is errpha.sised, especially in terms of teacher training and examinations. 'Ihese two factors are considered essential to the success of M.I.S.P. Otherwise a new orthodoxy will set in.

(ix)

I NTRODUCTIO N

In the Indian Ocean, just within the Tropic of Capricorn

an1 about 1500 miles from the east coast of Africa, lies Mauritius.

Although it is approximately 40 miles long an1 30 miles wide, its area is 720 square miles. Yet its population is estimated at 910,000 in 1978 (Bi Armual Digest of statistics, December 1978, Vol. 13, No.2, Central statistical Office, Rose Hill, Mauritius).

It is divided into (a) Indo-Ma.uritians, 65% (b) the general population eonprising people of European descent and of mixed or Af'rioan origin, 32% and (c) Sino-Mauritians 3%. SUch a hetero- geneity of the population is reflected in the linguistic and

ethnic differences and by the plurality of religious derooninations.

As a result of such varied cultural

am

linguistic backgrounds,

a rather cosn:opolitan attitude has been inculcated in the population;

however a desire to preserve the cultural links with the ool.IDtries of their forebears still persists.

The History or the islarxi was one of transient settlement

by the Portuguese, then came the Dutch who nmred it Mauritius in honour of their ruler, Prince Maurice of Nassau. 'lbe French colonized it in 1721 arrl re-naned it the Ile de France. Finally the British conquered it in 1810. By the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1814, the ne de France was ceded to the British and re-naI!ai Mauritius. Unde!' the terms of surrender the cultural life of the

inhabitants was aa.feguarded and the religion, laws, language,

customs and traditions have been preserved to this day. 'llie British

Crown eolony of Mauritius finally becane an :independent state in 1968. Though the official language is English, the lingua

rra.n.ca is the creole languag-e, a sort of pidgin French which is spoken :::eather then written. Most of the local newspapers are written in French. ^Of course, the various ethnic groups rore or less still treasure their m:>ther tongues embracing a nrultitude of Asian dialects. Thus Mauritius is a centre of both F.airtem and Westem cultures in the midst of the Indian Ocean.

A brief study of the socio-economic and political bases of the colonial system of education as it has existed over the preceding historical periods and as it persists in Mauritius, may liFJlt the road ahead for reconstraction.